REVIEW – Fallen Too Far by Abbi Glines

The wealthy son of a rocker. A tough farm girl from Alabama. Two step-siblings from different worlds. One summer in Rosemary Beach.

The last thing Blaire Wynn wants is to move in with her father’s new family in Rosemary Beach, Florida. She has no choice. Blaire’s mother has passed away after a long illness, leaving behind a mountain of medical debts and no way for Blaire to keep their small Alabama farmhouse.

Driving into the wealthy resort town in a pickup truck with a pistol under her seat, Blaire knows she’ll never fit in. She’s even more disappointed to discover that her father has left for Paris, leaving her with her new stepbrother, Rush Finlay. The cynical, condescending, and unapologetic son of an infamous rock star, Rush is as spoiled as he is gorgeous—and he immediately gets under Blaire’s skin.

But as the summer goes by, Blaire begins to see a side of Rush she never expected, and the chemistry between them becomes impossible to ignore. Unknown to her, Rush has a secret that could destroy Blaire’s entire world. Will she find out what he’s hiding before she falls too far?

Fallen Too Far is everything a new adult novel should be and then some. Overflowing with raw emotion, this book leaves its mark in an undeniable way. Rush and Blaire are truly one-of-a-kind. Their relationship is complicated, unexpected, and deep – leaving readers with no choice but to surrender themselves completely to the journey that Abbi Glines has so skillfully laid out for these fantastic characters. The tension between Rush and Blaire is powerful and unrelenting, evidence of both the instant chemistry and inexplicable emotional connection between them. I was hooked from the first page to the last, absolutely devouring this book in my quest for more of Rosemary Beach. Abbi’s writing is addictive, her thoughtful prose and vibrant imagery bringing this sparkling story to life for her readers. Losing myself in the sexy, dramatic world of privilege that Abbi Glines has so skillfully designed was absolutely effortless and only left me wanting more.

“You aren’t what I expected. I wish you were. It’d be so much easier.”

Abbi Glines doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to her characters. Rush, Blaire, and the rest of the Rosemary Beach crew were all so memorable, a colorful collection of inimitable personalities with loud, distinct voices. Even the initially mild-mannered Blaire made herself known to readers by quickly establishing herself as a feisty, no-nonsense, gun-toting badass. I absolutely loved getting to know Blaire. She’s probably one of my all-time favorite female characters. Her strength and independence perfectly compliments her kindhearted and fiercely loving nature, ensuring a character that is easy to connect with and root for. Rush, on the other hand, took time to love. While I was instantly attracted to his bad boy persona, it wasn’t until Abbi Glines began to carefully unravel this character that I truly felt for him. As Abbi developed Rush over the course of the story, pieces of this jaded man began to take shape, giving unexpected depth and dimensionality to this character. While he still has a long way to go in terms of growth, the emotional whiplash this character gave me is a promising sign of things to come from Rush.

“Then there was the love. I saw it. The fierceness in his eyes. I believed it. I could see it clearly. But it was too late now. The love wasn’t enough.”

Fallen Too Far was well paced and expertly plotted. I loved how original and exciting this story felt. While there were definitely a few cliché moments, the storyline was full of surprises, keeping me totally enchanted by Abbi’s words. Rush and Blaire’s story had me riding a rollercoaster of emotions, making my heart flutter and falter with each exposed truth and unearthed secret. Abbi Glines even went so far as to end this book on a shocking note, making it impossible not to jump into the next book right away. Alongside Blaire and Rush are a crew of secondary characters that have been so well introduced and integrated into Blaire and Rush’s story that I found myself completely smitten with each of them (except for Nan… because well, she’s Nan). The emotions Abbi has managed to evoke from me in regards to these other characters is astounding, a true testament to her gift for storytelling and character building. Abbi Glines writes with a voice that is fresh, fun, and unforgettable. Fallen Too Far is an incredible start to what promises to be a must read series!

I love when a book is calling to me so loudly that it demands I do a re-read. Fallen Too Far by Abbi Glines happens to be one of these novels and It just warms my heart to have gone back to these beloved characters of mine. I forgot just how much New Adult can excite me and make me giggle at the foolish, immature at times, antics.

“There was this draw I had to him that I couldn’t explain. The more he kept his distance, the more I wanted to get closer.”

Without a doubt, my favorite part of Fallen Too Far is the sassy, strong-willed heroine, Blaire. She is a firecracker that you can’t help but admire and love. Even though she’s a fictional character, I totally want to invite her to my dinner table and become best friends. Her spitfire attitude combined with her compassionate, gentle nature sure makes for an unforgettable character. I’ll admit that I used to love Rush a whole lot more than I do now. Maybe it’s where I am in my life or the fact that I know where these characters are all going, but some of his actions drove me crazy. Where I used to love to see the bad boy get flipped around and twisted inside out, there was something about his careless sexual encounters, and knowing Blaire could see, that had me thinking ick! However, that is not to say that he didn’t have that swoon worthy Southern charm tucked away. When he let that side, his more vulnerable side, show, I remembered how he made my heart beat faster and my stomach flutter!

“I don’t know what this is that is going on between us, but from the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were going to change my world.”

I remember reading this book for the first time and loving how much I could relate to it. I, much like Blaire, was finding my place in the world. I adored getting to see these personalities navigate through tricky situations, knowing each would have their own story to tell. Fallen Too Far was a fun, quick read that had me giggling some moments, while having my heart bruised in others. Abbi Glines has written an addictive hero and heroine and I’m anxious to relive the rest of their story. It’s perfect for a summertime afternoon forget the world type of read!

Abbi Glines is the New York Times, USA TODAY, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Rosemary Beach, Field Party, Sea Breeze, Vincent Boys, and Existence series. A devoted book lover, Abbi lives with her family in Alabama. She maintains a Twitter addiction at @AbbiGlines and can also be found at Facebook.com/AbbiGlinesAuthor and AbbiGlines.com.